Improvement in wick-raisers



THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOTOL|TH.39 8:41 PARK PLACEINX.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN G. MOEHRING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR OF s ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO RUFUS S. MERRILL, WILLIAM B. MERRILL, AND

JOSHUA MERRILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WICK-RAISERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,507, dated May 1H, 1875; application filed May 1, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN G. IWIOEHRING, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wick- Raisers for Lamps, of which the following is a specication:

My invention has been designed more particularly with reference to the needs of lamp or lamp-burners in which two or more independent wicks require to be raised or lowered simultaneouslyand together. It is, however, applicable to lamp-burners or lamps in general, even where but one wick, and that a flat one, is used. In argand-lamp burners, or those in which two or more flat wicks are assembled together in the forni of an annular wick, there has been much diiilculty experienced in obtaining a reliable, yet cheap and uncomplicated, wick-raising device. The simplest device of all is the ordinary shaft and pinion used in flat-wick burners 5 and yet, inasmuch as one pinion at least is needed for each wick and wick-tube, it has been impracticable to arrange the severalV pinions to move together and simultaneously without multiplyingv gearing and incurring liability of lost motion, which, of course, renders the even and uniform movement of all the wicks uncertain, if not impossible. It has been my aim to use the ordinary toothed pinion or ratchet wickraiser, and at the same time to avoid the complication ofstructure and uncertainty of operation above referred to. The most effective and, indeed, the only certain way of obtaining uniformity ofmovementis to mount the several pinions for the several wicks on one and the same shaft, which, when revolved, will, of course, cause the pinions to move together' and in unison. To render this feasible it is, however, requisite to adapt the wick-tubes to the new arrangement. To this end I form each wicktube on one of its broader faces with a longitudinal bulge offset or corrugation, into which the wick, when inserted in the tube, will be bent or crimped. The ratchet or toothed wickraising wheel is arranged, not as heretofore, at right angles with the wick-tube, but parallel with said tube, (supposing the latter to be an ordinary flat-wick tube,) and it works through one side of the offset bulge Ior corrugation upon the crimped portion of the wick therein. With devices thus organized it is obvious that, by placing two or more of the wick-tubes in juxtaposition and in proper relations to one another, their wick-raising pinions may be mounted on one and the same shaft, by the revolution of which they will be compelled to revolve in unison.

The manner in which my invention is or may be carried into effect will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which* Figure l is a perspective view of so much of an argand-lamp burner as is needed to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a section through the wick-tubes, wick-raiser, and central draft-tube in a horizontal plane passing through the axis of the wick-raising shaft.

The burner shown in illustration of my invention is one embodying certain peculiarities of construct-ion, for which I have filed application for a patent of even date herewith.

My present invention relates to the wickraising alone, and to that I shall confine my speciiication. It is only necessary to say that A is the base of the burner; B, the central draft-due, with an air-passage, a, between the wiclctubes leading into it. The burner is provided, besides, With a wick-assembling shell, which surrounds the wicktubes and central draft-flue, and with the latter form an annular chamber in which the wicks from the i11- dependent wick-tubes are received and assembled together in the shape of an annular wick. The feature, however, is not here shown, inasmuch as it is unnecessary for my present purposes. The wick-tubes are seen at C, and, being designed for an argand burner, are preferably curved to Iit the central draft-due, around which they are assembled. Each wicktube on its outer face is provided with an O- set, bulge, or corrugation, b, which may eX- tend wholly or partly the length of the tube. The wich c inserted in the tube is wider than the part of the tube that is corrugated, so that when pushed into the tube it will be crimped,

bent, or folded into the corrugated part, as

shown in Fig. 2. In one of the sides of the y revolve in bearings in the body of the burner corrugations is an aperture, d, through which the wick-raising pinion f works against the crimped portion of the wick. The pinion thus operates substantially as in ordinary {iat-Wick tubes, the wick being compressed between the pinions on the one side and opposite wall of the corrugation on the other. The two Wicktubes being placed opposite one another, with their corrugations or osets in the posit-ion shown, it will be seen,by reference to the drawing, that it is entirely feasible to mount the two pinions f upon a single shaft, g, provided with the usual milled head, and arranged to be employed in the application of my inven tion to various styles of burners. This will be understood without further explanation by those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wick-tube formed on one of its sides with an offset, bulge, or corrugation to receive a portion of the Wick which is crimped or bent therein, in combination with a wickraiser working through an opening in said bulging part or'oft'set of the tube upon the crimped portion of the wick, substantially as set forth.`

2. The combination of two or more wicktubes, each formed with an offset, bulge, or corrugation to receive a crimped portion of the wick, as described, with wick-raising pinions or ratchets, one for each tube, working through openings in the bulging parts of the tubes upon the crimped parts of the wicks, under the Halvorson patent, reissued June 6, and a single rotary shaft or spindle, upon 1871, No. 4,413, and extended September 20, which all the pinions are fixed, substantially 1873. rllhis invention is also applicable not l as set forth. only to two wick-tubes, but to burners or Intestimonywhereof Ihavehereunto signed lamps employing a less or greater number. my namethis 24th day of November, A.D.1874.

Where the invention is applied to what is termed the LDual Burner77 the corrugated H. G. MOEHRING. part of the wick-tube is preferably surmounted Witnesses: by a plain flat-wiel; tube of somewhat greater ARTHUR It. SWAN, width. It is, however, unnecessary to further THEODORE M. PLIMr'roN.

in the ordinary way. By revolving the shaft both pinions will, of course, be put in motion, and will be operated to raise or lower their wicks simultaneously.

I have shown my invention as applied to two curved wick-tubes. It may be applied as well to iat Wiclr-tubes-to such an arrangement, for instance, as embodied in what is known as the Dual Burner,7 manufactured specify the details of arrangement which mayk 

